DBZT-The Series, Prologue: Second Goodbyes
by Gregg Landsman
Summary: An alternate timeline to GT:  A few years after the destruction of Buu, a tragedy brings Gohan and his friends together for a new series of adventures.  R&R, please.
1. Default Chapter

DBZseries0 DBZ and all associated characters are the property of Akira Toriyama and Toei. Dub was done by Funimation, for better or worse, all rights reserved. I hold no property rights, I just do this for practice. Nyah.  
This is an idea thought up by my friend and fellow writer, Ares, and cultivated by myself, Ares, Thanos6, and others. I'm just the first one to get it down on paper. This is an alternate to DBGT, and also incorporates the movies. This takes some differences with continuity and with character ages. Stick with me here.  
  
  
**Second Goodbyes**  
  
  
It was a beautiful ceremony.  
Everyone was there. He was there, along with his wife and daughter. His grandfather was there, somber as ever. The Briefs were all in attendance, including Vegeta. Who wasn't sad at the loss, but at what it would mean. He was the first to realize it.  
His little brother was there, saying nothing through the service. He was already 15 years old physically, 14 chronologically. He doesn't know how he's taking it, or how he can take the shock, but he's glad the Briefs have offered to take him in.  
Krillin, 18, and Marron are there, offering condolences to the family however they can. Yamcha is there, along with Pu'ar. As is Kamesennsin Mutenroshi, Launch, and Turtle. Somehow, Yajirobe, Tenshinhan and Chao'tzu also got the news and came to offer condolences to their friend. And Piccolo is there, to offer his support, and prove that any bad blood between them is long gone. And maybe just to observe the one performing the ceremony, Dende, to see if he's as good as Kami once was.  
And of course, his father is there. Standing right next to the casket, dressed in a black suit he's sworn he's never seen before. A sad look on his face, but also a slight smile, that smile he's always had when he's realized something important that he should have figured out long ago.  
He looks to the young, dark skinned man with drooping black hair standing away from the others. He knows that the more irrational people would blame him for this. Some would blame him for training with his father in the mountains that day. Some would blame him simply because he was once Majin Buu.  
It happened suddenly. Too suddenly. He knows how it happened, Dende gave him an account. His mother was going to visit his father where he and his student were training. A snake bit her, and before his father could get to her, she died. A natural death, nothing that could be fixed by the Earth Dragonballs.  
Meaning his mother is gone, forever…  
And from the look in his father's eyes, Son Gohan knows that he has more to lose, today.  
  
  
The sun sets as Son Goku stands in front of the dirt-covered grave and tombstone, his black hair blowing in the wind, still dressed in his suit. Some would joke this is the longest they've ever seen him outside of his normal gi, if it was appropriate to joke at this point. He hasn't walked away, he hasn't moved from his spot. He hasn't spoken since they arrived for the funeral, but he hasn't shed a tear, so they know it's not out of grief.  
Gohan is the first to go to him. Some call him empathic, some just call him nosey. But he knows his father well enough. He's been with him through enough of life to know when something is amiss with him. He waves to his wife and daughter, giving them the signal to stay put before walking to the grave, clasping his hands together.  
"Dad-" he starts, stopping as Goku turns to him.  
"Gohan, I have to go," he says.  
"Go…where?"  
Goku sighs, a faint smile on his lips.  
"I have to go to Heaven," he says, "My time is up."  
Gohan's lips part. He knows how his father returned to life during the conflict with Buu. He knows that the Rho Dai Kaioshin, one of the elder Gods, gave his father the life essence needed to finally end the threat of Majin Buu.  
But like everyone else, he thought he had all the time in the world.  
"Dad…why?"  
"My body isn't permanent," Goku says, clenching a fist, "Kaioshin told me whenever I wished, I could abandon it and I could go to Heaven. I stayed here because…because I thought everyone needed me here, and I wanted to train Uubu so he could use his power…and because I thought I could stay with Chi Chi until she died of old age, and then join her. I didn't realize it before today, but I wasn't a very good husband."  
"No…no, Dad, you were great. You were a great father to me and Goten, and I know Mom missed you when you were gone."  
"She did. I was gone too much," Goku says, and sighs, again, "I shouldn't have been gone that much. I should have spent more time with her…but it's always the shoulds and coulds that cause these things to happen in the first place."  
He looks up, smiling, a sadder smile than his normal one, and places his hand on Gohan's shoulder.  
"I want to be with her," he says, "I want to be with your mother and be the husband she wanted, and the way I can do that is if I go to Heaven…and stay with her. You can't wish me back this time. And you don't need me."  
"Dad…"  
"When I died against Cell, I told you that you were powerful enough to walk on your own. And it's true now, to. You and the others…heh, if I stay any longer I'll start becoming a second stringer anyway, whether to you and your Kaioshin powers, to Vegeta's constant training, or Gotenks or Uubu. The world is in good hands. I'm not needed anymore."  
Gohan nods, blinking back tears.  
"We'll miss you," he says, "It'll be hard with you gone, Dad."  
Goku nods, sadly. He looks up, to the other. Sees Vegeta's back turned to him, arms crossed. Sees the 7-year old Pan, his granddaughter, watching curiously. Sees Goten, his second son, fidgeting.  
"I've never been good at long goodbyes," Goku says, "Is this the first time I've died willingly?"  
Gohan chuckles, faintly.  
"I think Cell is still up for debate."  
Goku ruffles Gohan's hair, and looks up.  
"I think Kaioshin is calling me," he says, "He knows I'm coming. He'll guide me the rest of the way."  
"Alright, Dad…then…"  
"See you in a few decades," Goku says, "I guess…when you die a few times, you're not afraid of it anymore. You know what's waiting on the other side."  
Goku closes his eyes, rolls his head forward…and collapses against Gohan, his final breath leaving his body.  
With a loud, violent curse, Vegeta's aura manifests around him and he takes off, flying away, as Gohan slowly lowers his father's now-dead body to the ground…and finally lets his grief overtake him as he collapses into tears.  
  
  
Life returns to normal in the two weeks following Son Goku and Son Chi Chi's burials. Everyone deals with it as they can. Vegeta trains furiously in the Gravity Chamber and goes for days without saying a word to anyone else. Goten loses himself in studies, and makes trouble with Trunks when he can. Piccolo meditates. Dende watches over the world.  
And Gohan sits in his swiveling chair in his study, feet up on the desk, crumpling a piece of paper into a ball and tossing it in the waste basket. He's been engaged in one of his more constructive habits: thinking.  
_ It's the logistics of this that are bothering me…_  
He closes his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose, leaning back in his chair.  
_ Alright. We have nearly all the dynamics…Piccolo is experienced…more than anyone else by far. Tien's a natural martial artist and probably the strongest human on the planet, same with Krillin. Goten and Trunks are powerful in their own right, and Gotenks is practically a force of nature…Vegeta…well, I'd never hear the end of it if he wasn't on, and he's powerful as well...but we're missing something…I need to make this perfect before I bring up this idea…_  
"You're thinking. That's always a good sign."  
He opens his eyes to find his wife, Videl Satan, leaning against the doorway. She walks over, behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.  
"Just been thinking about the situation Dad left me in," he says.  
"Speaking of which, my father sends condolences. He and Mr. Buu were touring when they heard, and couldn't get back in time for the funerals."  
"Yeah…I know," Gohan says, closing his eyes again, "I'll need to talk with him when he gets back, anyway."  
"About?"  
"Can't say just yet," Gohan responds, "I've just been…thinking. Dad told me that he wasn't needed anymore. That the world was in good hands…and I'm just wondering how to do it. I have an idea, an idea for a group of us, the most powerful of us to deal with threats to the Earth…but it's just missing something."  
"What?"  
"It's missing the backbone. It's missing someone like Dad."  
He gets up, and begins pacing around the study, hands clasped behind him.  
"Dad was always the default leader, because he knew everything about beating an opponent," he says, "How can I compare to him? He was a legend, he was the guy who took out the Red Ribbon, defeated Frieza, destroyed Majin Buu, stopped the Androids. There's probably tribes and aliens out there who've written songs about what he's done. How the Hell do I compare to that?"  
"So says the Great Saiyaman and the guy who beat the crap out of…let's see," she says, counting off her fingers, "Cell, Buu, Hildegarn, Bojack, and Frieza at two different points."  
"…good point," he responds, "But it's missing Dad's power, his technique."  
She nods, leaning against the desk.  
"He had a student," she responds, "That kid at the funeral…"  
"Uubu? Videl, he was once Buu."  
"_Once._ It's different now, and your Dad trusted the kid enough to take him on as his only real student. I don't think he's ecstatic about Goku's death any more than you are, Gohan. From what I saw, the kid was alone, hurt, and afraid, especially since everyone there knew where he came from and what he was, and he didn't."  
He nods, sighing. He clicks his watch, and with a small burst of light, his clothes disappear, and are replaced by his black bodysuit, green tunic, and white gloves and boots as the Great Saiyaman.  
"Dende told me he's putting Uubu up at the Lookout," he says, "I should go talk with him."  
Videl nods, sitting in the chair.  
"Good," she says, "I'll wait up for you."  
He smiles, walking to the room's window and opening it, stepping out before taking flight, and blasting away into the distance.  
  
  
Karin and Yajirobe sit across each other at a small table, each holding a hand of cards. Normally, the sight of a walking cat and a fat man with a sword would catch someone's attention, but the reasons against that are that it is the cat's tower, and the rest of the world is insane enough to not really care about this sort of thing.  
The two avoid each other's gaze, less to discuss the recent events, and more to keep their poker face on.  
"Nice weather, huh?" Karin asks.  
Yajirobe grunts, taking another card.  
Which is when a white streak flies up by them, the wind picking up and tossing them both out of their chairs, scattering the cards around.  
"God damn it!" Karin yells, "What the Hell is wrong with those people?! Don't they have anything better to do than blast my place with sonic booms?!"  
Yajirobe starts picking up the cards, muttering to himself.  
"I think it's just family tradition."  
  
  
Dende, Guardian of Earth and barely adult Namek, watches as the white streak descends to the stone park outside his palace, at the edge of his Lookout. He motions forward the ebon Popo, the two walking from the housing and towards the streak and reveals itself to be Gohan.  
"I know why you're here," Dende says, "The boy is obsessive, to say the least. I've had a new room made for him for him to train in for the past two weeks."  
"What type of room?"  
"A pocket dimension," Dende responds, "He keeps destroying at random in there. I think he's angry. At himself, mostly, because he sees himself to be the cause of all this."  
Gohan says nothing, closing his eyes.  
"Which is why you should tell him he's not," Dende continues, "Which you will. Won't you?"  
Gohan nods, walking past them. He stops at the doors to the palace, and turns.  
"Down the hallway, to the right," Popo says as Gohan opens his mouth.  
Gohan nods, smirks, and continues inside the building.  
  
  
The boy floats in the air-filled 'space' of the training dimension, curled into fetal position. His eyes open, a purple glow to them as he stands straight, and summons his flight aura around himself before thrusting down on the large world in front of him.  
The ground spiderwebs where he crashes and stands, gathering his power in his hand and releasing the blast into the distance, the light of the exploding mountains reflecting off his darkened skin.  
He continues firing off blasts, into the horizon and into the sky, his aura flashing into existence, glowing blue, then red, the white as he screams in frustration and grief, not noticing the white door opening out of thin air.  
Gohan holds his temples, closing his eyes as he sees the boy.  
_ Damn…Dad wasn't kidding when he was talking about his power…_  
"Uubu!" he yells.  
The boy doesn't turn, continuing to loose ki blasts into the distance. More mountains and scenery disappear, the sky in the distance turning black as the blasts rip swaths of the planet's atmosphere away. Gohan wait, forming a force shield around him, watching as Uubu forms a massive sphere of crackling red ki…and lobs it towards the sky. The sphere travels on, out of sight…and then there is a flash that consumes the sky.  
And meteors begin slamming into the ground around them, craters ripping up the landscape even more.  
"Nice throwing arm," Gohan says.  
Uubu jumps, and turns, the glow disappearing from his eyes.  
He says nothing, placing a hand to the ground, releasing energy into it and restoring the landscape with a reddish glow.  
"I hope you remember who I am," Gohan says.  
Uubu nods.  
"You are Gohan, sensei's eldest son."  
"Right. Dende told me you were in here. I wanted to check up on you."  
Uubu turns, firing a long beam of blue energy into the distance, parting mountains and evaporating a small sea.  
"You have," Uubu says, "Then you can go. I'd rather not hear how this is my fault."  
"Why would I say that?"  
"Because it's what you have been thinking. I'm good at reading emotions."  
Gohan nods, sighing.  
"I was. But not anymore," he responds, "My Dad spoke highly of you."  
"And _sensei _spoke highly of you, as well."  
A moment of silence passes between the two, as Uubu stretches out his arms, and falls into a cross-armed fighting stance, his right wrist resting on his left forearm, the ball of his left foot digging into the ground. He levels his gaze at Gohan, steadying his breathing and gathering his power.  
"Good idea," Gohan says, "It's been a while since I sparred. Just so you know, I was jealous that Dad spent that much time training you."  
"And just so you know, I did resent the fact that you're his son. He was like a father to me."  
"Well he was my father."  
"I know. Does this help?"  
"I minored in psychotherapy at college. It should."  
The two blur as Gohan summons his Kaioshin powers, appearing in front of each other. Uubu slides forward with an elbow, pulling back at the last moment and spinning into a kick. Gohan blocks, returning with a punch and hitting Uubu's after image.  
Uubu reappears above Gohan, releasing twin energy blasts, both of which bounce off a force shield a foot above his head.  
Gohan clasps both hands above his head, a sphere of ki appearing.  
"_Masenko-HA!_"  
The blast releases as he thrusts them up at Uubu, Uubu deflecting the blast with a strike of his hand, and pulling back, chambering his hands to his side.  
"Well, Dad definitely taught you well," Gohan says with a grin.  
"Yes, he did," Uubu responds, "_Kame…ha…me…_ "  
  
  
Dende looks up, and groans.  
"Dende?" Popo asks.  
"You know they'll spar," Dende says, "I've known Gohan long enough to know that if he has a difference with someone on an equal level of power, they'll spar to work out stress."  
"Yes. Yes, they will."  
"If they fight near the door, we'll feel it, won't we?"  
"Yes. Yes, we will."  
The Guardian of Earth and his assistant look at each other for a long, long moment.  
"What's the chance they'll decide to take it to another planet in the pocket dimension?"  
"Dende, I don't think there was any chance of that to begin with."  
Which is when the entire Lookout violently shakes, throwing both of them off their feet and crashing, head first, into the floor.  
"Ow," Dende groans.  
  
  
Uubu takes the high road, Gohan flying low and avoiding his blasts, responding with three large blasts of his own, two of them missing and one hitting Uubu dead center and knocking him from the sky. Uubu continues his descent, throwing out his arms and gathering energy in his palms.  
"The Hell…?!" Gohan snaps.  
"I believe this is similar to something the fusion Gotenks does," he says, floating, upside down, a foot and a half above the ground, "Renzouken Shine!"  
He releases a volley of ki blasts, Gohan flying out of the way, cupping his hands to his side.  
"Want to play like that? I'm game," Gohan says with a grin, and thrusts his hands out, "_Kamehameha!_ "  
The blast flies out, towards Uubu, who releases a two handed blast of his own to collide with it. The two beams, one blue, one red, struggle, both putting all their power behind it, ripping up the landscape around them.  
Which is when Uubu releases his blast and flies up, the two beams flying off into the distance and obliterating the scenery.  
He throws out his arms, his aura blazing red.  
"Oh, don't tell me you know Vegeta's techniques, to," Gohan groans.  
"I was told this one was similar," Uubu responds, and points both hands down, "HA!"  
He releases a massive blast, the beam descending upon Gohan. Gohan grins, chambering his hands, charging up another Kamehameha wave.  
With a scream, he releases his own blast, countering Uubu's, the two locked in the energy tug of war…  
  
  
Dende sits on the steps of his palace as another blast rocks the Lookout, Popo fidgeting.  
"Now I see why Karin complains so much," he says.  
  
  
Uubu and Gohan lock hands, teeth gritted in the classic test of strength…and they find themselves dead even.  
Damn…he IS strong…but he is Buu, and from what Dad told me about Pure Buu, he'd have been around my level of power.  
"I thought you usually slack on your training," Uubu says.  
"I used to. But after the tournament I decided I needed to keep sharp. And I like saying I'm the most powerful person on Earth. Gives Pan something cool to say at Show and Tell."  
Uubu grins, digging his feet into the ground. He yells, pushing himself back, pulling Gohan forward and into a well-timed front kick to the jaw, knocking him out of the lock as Uubu plants his hand on the ground and slams both feet into Gohan's chest, sending him flying up.  
Gohan stops himself in mid-flight, looking down and rubbing his jaw.  
"I think we should end the match," he says, "Agreed?"  
"Agreed," Uubu says, "First one to yield?"  
"We'll never get that done and I have a class to teach tomorrow if we do that."  
"True. First one to be knocked into the door?"  
"Agreed."  
Gohan powers up to full, as does Uubu.  
  
  
Dende sighs, resting his head on his hand as the entire tower begins to rumble.  
"Popo, remind me someday to go into therapy."  
  
  
Gohan dives down, punching, pulling back as Uubu blocks and spinning into a backfist and then a double spin kick, driving the younger man back. Uubu ducks a hook kick, leaping up and launching into a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike connecting with one of Gohan's, shockwaves ripping up the area around them.  
  
  
"Popo, did Kami ever have to deal with this?"  
"No. He just had to deal with his psychotic other half wanting to kill and eat him."  
"Good point."  
  
  
Gohan catches Uubu's foot as he kicks him, sweeping out his leg and punching him in mid air, sending Uubu flying and landing a few feet away from the door.  
Uubu flips up, cupping his hands outward, screaming as he begins building up energy.  
  
  
"Popo, do you know what I'd wish for if I had all the Dragonballs?"  
"No. What would you wish for, Dende?"  
"I'd wish for constant, high powered Earthquakes to come from right next to the bedrooms of each and every one of the Son's and their friends. So they'd know what it feels like to be me."  
  
  
Gohan throws his arms out as Uubu releases the blast…and the blast reflects off a forcefield. The forcefield dissipates as soon as the blast subsides, and Gohan charges forward, sheathing himself in energy.  
Uubu lets loose a flurry of blasts, each of them striking Gohan and bouncing off his shield. Gohan grins, bringing back one hand, charging it up with energy. And he thrusts his hand forward, a straight beam of blue ki striking Uubu and pushing him into the door…and right through it, across the hall of the Lookout and into the adjacent storage room.  
"Well, I guess you win," Uubu says, cracking a smile.  
Gohan smiles, leaning against the door.  
"Uubu," Gohan says, "I'm going to have some people meeting me, hopefully at Capsule Corp, a couple of days from now. I'd like you to be there."  
"Why?"  
"Ever think about becoming a full fledged Superhero?"  
Uubu takes a moment to look Gohan up and down.  
"In that costume?"  
  
  
"_OH, NOT YOU TO!!!_"  
Dende sighs, as Gohan and Uubu walk out of the Lookout, yelling at each other on whether or not Gohan's costume makes him look like an idiot.  
"I'm not saying you are an expensive male prostitute, I'm just saying the costume makes you look like one."  
"And you're wearing white pants. That's all. You don't look like a fighter, you look like you're training to be a Chippendale dancer!"  
"They are also fashionable. They're baggy, unlike yours, so people cannot tell right off whether I've entered puberty."  
Dende stands up, leaning on his stick.  
"Excuse me, but can I guess the fight is over by the fact that Popo and I aren't hanging on for dear life?" he asks.  
The two stop, and nod.  
"Good," Dende says, "Gohan, your costume does look good on you, and thank the Kai, the Kaioshin, and whoever else is out there that you lost the damned cape and towel. Uubu, you're not affected by the cold but you should wear a shirt and maybe shoes, because otherwise people will think you're a flasher who forgot his trenchcoat. Agreed?"  
Uubu and Gohan look at Dende, then at each other.  
"He is wise," Uubu says.  
"Agreed," Gohan says, "Are you staying in the Lookout?"  
"Yes. Though probably in meditation. Something quiet."  
Dende screams out in jubilation, and Popo face faults.  
"Good. I'll stop by in a day or so when I get everything prepared."  
Uubu extends a hand.  
"It was a pleasure to fight with you, Gohan."  
Gohan smiles, shaking the hand.  
"It was good to meet you, Uubu."  
He steps back, and flies off, into the distance.  
Dende sits down on the steps, burying his face between his knees.  
"How long did Kami go before getting a replacement?"  
"Many centuries, Dende," Popo responds.  
"Great."  
Uubu smiles, walking past them and into the Lookout.  
"If you need me I'll be in the Room of Spirit and Time," he calls back, "Oh, and when's dinner? That spar's really started to make me hungry…"  
Dende and Popo look to each other, and their shoulders slump.  
"You know," Dende says, "I don't think we're going to get the chance to miss Goku at all."  
  



	2. Part 2

With a turn of the key, the front door of the old Son household locks.

"Well, that's that," Gohan says, "Is everything moved out, squirt?"

Gohan turns to his younger brother, folding his arms…and smiles, faintly.

Goten has grown up, indeed. He is now in his mid teens, having grown up to be the mirror image of their father, with the same innocent expression, the same spiky, wild black hair, even the same training gi, albeit with sleeves down to his wrists like when he was a child.

"Goten?" Gohan asks.

"Oh, yeah, I got everything," he says, "Trunks and his Dad helped me move all the stuff out."

"Yeah, and I took what I would want," he says, and sees the holster and strap over his gi's front, "Is that…?"

"Nyoibo," Goten says, pulling the short red staff from the holster, "I found it in Dad's old stuff. I thought I could use it, so Trunks and I could start sparring with this and Tapion's sword. Watch!"

He holds the staff in both hands.

"Nyoibo! Extend!"

The staff glows, and extends to a 6' bo staff.

"See, it does whatever I tell it to, just like Nimbus did!"

"Yeah," Gohan says, ruffling his brother's hair, "I'm sure Dad would want you to have it."

Gohan takes a capsule out of his pants pocket, and clicks it, tossing it at the house and watching as it becomes a glass dome covering it.

"Duraplastic, one of the newest Capsule products," he says, "Being the President of Capsule Corp's Godson has its perks, doesn't it?"

Goten laughs, smiling.

"So, why _are_ we preserving Mom and Dad's house?" Goten asks as he and Gohan walk away from the now protected house, "I know I'm not going to move in there."

"I know, but in case Pan or any of my future grandchildren or nieces or nephews ever want a nice country house," Gohan responds, "Or if I eventually want to retire and move to the country."

"And sentimental value."

"Huh?"

"That's what Trunks said. 'It's got sentimental value,' is what he said, and I agree with him. Besides."

"Besides what?"

"Mom'd be pissed if we just sold the house. And I don't want to make her angry."

Gohan laughs, slapping his brother on the back.

"Good one," he says, lifting off the ground, "I gotta get going and visit some people, so can you get back by yourself?"

"No problem. Tell Videl and Pan I said hi!"

Gohan nods, waving back to his brother, and takes off.

First stop:

A group of Plateaus somewhere on the southern continent.

"Sure, we'll be there," Tien says, standing next to Chao'tzu in front of the still-floating Gohan, "But a superhero team? We could have trouble getting acceptance with your father-in-law still getting credit for Cell and the World Tournament crises."

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," Gohan responds, "Just be there in two days."

Tien nods, as does Chao'tzu, and Gohan takes off.

Second stop:

Yamcha scratches the back of his head, shrugging, as Gohan finishes his explanation. The two are standing in front of the former bandit's desert home, Pu'ar floating around behind them, flying in a manner that resembles pacing.

"A team?" the weaker fighter says, "Wow. Never thought you'd come to me for that. I'm usually the first guy down in fights."

"Well, we do need someone with experience," Gohan responds, "And you were there in the old days, alongside Dad when he was a kid."

Yamcha nods, and shrugs.

"I'll think about it," he says, "I'll see if I can make it."

Gohan nods, and takes off, flying back towards civilization.

Pu'ar floats over, and whacks Yamcha upside the head.

"What was that about?" the shapeshifter demands, "Of course you'll go! Why not?"

"Because I get the feeling this is going to end with me getting a hole somewhere I just don't need."

Third stop:

Android 18 watches as Krillin and Gohan talk, Krillin occasionally laughing, catching the younger man off guard. She perks her ear, increasing her hearing sensitivity, catching the conversation…

"Gohan, are you serious?" Krillin asks, "You want _me_ to be on a superteam?"

"Why not, Krillin?" the demi-saiyan asks, "You're one of the strongest humans on Earth."

"And you're the guy who smacked around Super Buu! You're _the_ strongest being on Earth when you actually bother powering up."

"Krillin, you fought side-by-side with my Dad. You saved our lives hundreds of times, more times than we can count. Sure, the power setup's different, but you're still experienced."

Krillin nods, and scratches his head.

"Sure, I'll be there."

18 smirks, walking back into the house.

Some things never will change.

Fourth stop:

The white cape blows in the wind, as the green figure looks out over the landscape before him, not turning as Gohan lands.

"Gohan," Piccolo says, "I have thought about contacting King Kai and having him transport me to New Namek, so I can spend the rest of my existence with my native people. I'll give you one chance to dissuade me."

"I'm forming a league of the most powerful fighters on Earth. You have experience and wisdom we could need."

"Your debate skills need work. Otherwise, good enough," Piccolo says, and smirks, "When are we meeting?"

"Two days."

"I'll be there."

And Gohan flies off without another word.

The wind burns in his wake as Gohan flies from where he saw Piccolo, arriving in under half a minute to his final destination:

The Capsule Corporation Mansion.

Home of his brother, his friend Trunks…

And the last person on the list he has to see.

He flies past the mansion, to the adjacent Gravity Chamber built into the side, vibrating at near light speeds and phasing through the ceiling inside the room…

And finding no one there.

He walks along the floor of the deactivated room, touching the control panel and finding it cool, walking to the door and opening it…and a thin layer of dust falls to the ground from the edges of the door.

This room hasn't been used in a while.

Masking his ki, he conducts a superspeed sweep of the premises.

He finds Goten and Trunks playing a video game, Mr. Briefs in his lab, Mrs. Briefs in the kitchen, the cat wandering the grounds, and comes to a halt, seeing Bulma reading a book in the study.

"Vegeta taught me to sense ki," she says, flipping another page, "I knew you were here the moment you entered the gravity chamber."

"Sorry. But speaking of which…"

"He's three miles east, Cliffside. You can't miss it."

Gohan nods, and disappears.

The single figure watches the sunset, arms crossed over his chest, as Gohan lands near him.

Vegeta doesn't turn, doesn't say anything as Gohan tries to think of a way to broach the subject. And in typical fashion, Gohan hesitate, waits…

And the waiting finally prompts the Saiyan prince.

"Tell me, boy," Vegeta says, "Who was your worst enemy?"

"I'm sorry?"

"More than anyone else, who was the one who caused you the most grief? Who was the one who's very existence gave you rage, made you burn with hatred…and spurred you to be better than him, no matter the cost?"

Gohan looks down, closing his eyes.

"Cell."

"My worst enemy was your father," Vegeta says, "How could he, a lowborn third class warrior, be the first Super Saiyan in a thousand years? How could he destroy Frieza? How could his bloodline produce beings of untold of power, such as you, or Goten? How could he always be better than me? Me, the Prince of the Saiyans, reduced to a second fiddle to a saiyan who never even knew what he was until my subordinate told him!"

Vegeta sighs.

"In the end, I realized why. Because Kakarot did not see himself as a Saiyan. Because he did not obey any of our rules, our culture, he let himself be part of this world and this world molded him as its champion. He told me of his life here as a child, and if not for the…probability defying events…I would have killed him in seconds when I came to Earth. But because of them, because of the training with that old man, his alliance with Kami, everything…he could defeat me. It is sobering, in the end, to realize that I am not a corpse because of luck."

"I thought you'd say you weren't Ruler of the Universe because of luck."

"If not for your father, I would be dead. I was never destined to become the first Super Saiyan. All my accomplishments and power…they are just in Kakarot's wake. And yours."

He turns to Gohan, and looks the younger man straight in the eye.

"I have lost," Vegeta says, an air of depression in his voice, "The continuing battle I had with Kakarot is over. He has won. And even if someday I were to surpass him, it would be a hollow victory, because there would be no one for me to become the better of. I know why you are here. You are seeking members for your league."

"Yes."

"Good. In the galaxy, I am known as being the adopted son of Frieza. That carries great regard to it, especially with the other empires who knew and feared him. There are some situations which cannot be won with a battle. I can help win those."

"I…didn't know that. I was mainly looking for added muscle."

"You have yourself and you have the reincarnated Buu, as well as your brother and my son," Vegeta responds, clasping Gohan's shoulder, "I am a non-factor in that regard. I am the most powerful full-blooded Saiyan…but I am also the last full-blooded saiyan. I will help as I can, but I believe that my days of waging battle are almost over."

He walks past Gohan lifting off the ground.

"I will meet you when you and the others arrive at the mansion," he says as he takes off, "I have news I must check up on."

And he blasts off, into the distance.

"Wow," Gohan says, "That was _the_ most surreal experience I've ever had."

That night.

An air-car flies through the night sky, weaving in and out of traffic in Satan City.

Gohan long ago abandoned the idea of learning to drive, finding that he's a far better instinctive flier. Videl, on the other hand, is a skilled, albeit aggressive driver that sometimes scares him. Their seven year old daughter Pan, however, doesn't care, and for the most part sleeps whenever they have to drive somewhere.

Lucky girl.

The ride from their house in the suburbs to his father-in-law's mansion at the heart of Satan City is usually about half an hour. During that time Gohan has figured he screams about ninety times, three times a minute, for Videl to watch the road, not to hit that car, or please for the love of Dende slow down.

She says that she has it well under control. He thinks she's insane. When he told Bulma about this, she simply said they're married. After a while, it became a game.

"We're here!" Videl announces, as the car touches down.

She looks to Gohan as he snaps out of his reverie, and then to the backseat as Pan stirs.

"Everyone okay?" she asks, undoing her seatbelt, "Everyone seemed awfully quiet."

"'m fine," Pan yawns, "What, Dad wasn't screaming?"

"I guess I'm finally getting used to it," Gohan says with a chuckle.

Pan climbs out of the car, walking alongside her father, as the three walk down the long walkway towards the entrance of the mansion.

"Does your father know what I want to ask him?" Gohan asks.

"No. He just thinks we're coming over for dinner. Buu will be there."

"Greaaaat. I've always wondered, what would happen if I entered one of the tournaments and ended up fighting Buu?"

"You'd kick his butt, Dad!"

Videl grins, ruffling Pan's hair.

"Good girl."

The doorman wastes no time in leading them through the mansion's reception hall and to the lobby outside the main dining room. Pan walks/floats over to one of the couches and sits down, as Gohan stretches out his arms.

"Think he'll go for the idea?" Videl asks.

"One way to find out." Gohan responds, as the double doors at the other end of the room open.

If not for the fact that he can't use ki to any extent, Hercule Satan would be one of those people that would have made Gohan piss himself as a kid. Over six and a half feet tall, heavily muscled, and always having a dignified stride to his step, even when just entering the living room to great his family.

"GRANDPA!"

Of course, the fact that his seven-year old daughter can beat him up, as evidenced as Pan launches from the couch and catches him in what _has_ to be a bone-cracking hug, is one of many reasons Gohan isn't scared of the World Champion.

"Hey, kiddo," Mr. Satan says, hugging Pan back and ruffling her hair, "Was traffic bad? I keep telling the mayor to put multi-level roads in, but apparently he has better things to put money into that road efficiency, huh?"

Although one of the things that _does_ impress Gohan about his father-in-law is his almost unlimited tolerance to pain. At least in public.

"Nah, wasn't too bad," Gohan says, "We would have just flown, but we weren't in a rush."

"And we would have scared the doorman," Videl responds, "Again."

Mr. Satan laughs, as Pan disengages from him and flies back to her parents.

"Yeah, I have to warn him about that sort of thing. They're just serving dinner, so come on in, I had the chef prepare everyone's favorites."

He steps out of the way, and they walk in. But before Gohan can walk in, Mr. Satan places his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Gohan," he says, "I'm sorry about your parents."

Gohan nods, sighing.

"Thanks," he responds, "Actually, I need to talk with you about something, over dinner. It's something my Dad left me in charge of, so I'll need your help with it."

"You bet, kid. Now let's get in there before Videl thinks I'm actually being serious."

Gohan chuckles, and follows his father-in-law in.

The sword slices against the Nyoibo with no effect, yet manages to drive Goten back. Trunks grins, driving his sword again against the staff, pushing Goten back and spinning into a kick…

And hitting air as Goten blurs and disappears, reappearing behind him and sweeping out his legs.

Trunks pushes off against the ground, taking to the air of the Gravity Chamber, Goten's aura bursting into existence about him and sending him flying up after him.

"Good form, but watch your speed. If you put too much power into take-off you'll overshoot him."

"Yes sir, Vegeta-san," Goten responds, twirling about the Nyoibo in one hand as it shrinks to its smallest size and holstering it on his back.

Trunks drives down with his sword, Goten sidestepping and knocking the blade out of the way with a palm strike, backfisting at Trunks and catching Trunks arm as the purple-haired demi-saiyan blocks.

Trunks tosses the sword into the Gravity Chamber floor, backing away and blurring, reappearing at Goten's side and launching a swift array of punches and kicks, Goten blocking, dropping down and releasing a double-handed ki blast to knock Trunks up, ricocheting off the ceiling, off one of the walls and to the wall upon which Vegeta is standing.

Trunks pauses for less than a second before blasting off at Goten, fist chambered back…

And blue eyes fading into green.

"Ah, Crap," Goten breathes, as Trunks' blue aura flashes gold, his hair spiking and turning gold.

Goten tucks in, launching down as Trunks swings, barely missing him, flying down and landing on the floor.

Trunks dives down, grinning, one hand in front.

Goten chambers his hands, and screams, as his black eyes begin changing color as well…

And in a similar explosion of light and ki, his hair blows up and turns gold, and he launches at his friend.

"Remember not to let power cloud your judgement," Vegeta says, "The Super Saiyan form provides a dramatic increase, but as history shows it makes us cocky. We have lost to far too many opponents because we thought we were invincible, so I would remind you not to do the same."

Trunks flies up, dodging Goten's kick, extending one hand out.

Vegeta raises an eyebrow.

"_Big Bang Attack!_" Trunks screams, releasing a quickly forming ball of ki at his friend.

Goten's eyes go wide as the blast impacts, exploding as it slams into him and sending him bouncing off the wall, his hair fading back to black, as do his eyes…

And he falls right into Trunks' arms.

"I gotya, Goten," he says, "Well, Father?"

"Good technique. But I would wait for the blast to charge a little more before firing, next time. And I could have _taught_ you the Big Bang Attack if you asked."

He hops off the wall, lowering himself to the ground.

"At least you didn't try to fire the Final Flash inside here, so I should be thankful for that," he responds, and points to the door, "Both of you, get out. It's my turn to train. And reassure your mother that I did not fight either of you."

Trunks nods, helping Goten to his feet, and the two begin walking out.

"Goten," Vegeta snaps.

"Yes, sir?"

"Good work. We can work with your technique. It would do you well to spar with someone closer to your actual power level."

Goten nods, silently, and follows Trunks out.

The pink, bulbous, barely humanoid creature silently stuffs his face with candy, ignoring Pan's fascinated gaze or just not noticing her gaze at all, as the other three in the dining room converse on matters of their own.

"So, a league?" Mr. Satan asks, "Okay, who, though?"

"Oh, mainly my Dad's old friends and…I guess you could say coworkers," Gohan responds, scratching the back of his head, "Me, my brother, Vegeta Briefs and his son, others who I'm not sure you know that well, but they were all at the wedding."

"Uh…including that big green guy?"

"Piccolo? Oh, yeah. He was one of the people who trained me."

"…right."

"And Uubu. He's the good reincarnation of Mr. Buu's other half."

Which is when Mr. Satan chokes on his own drink.

"You mean that guy that blew up the planet?! _He_ is on your team?!"

"Yeah. My Dad trained him. He knows all his moves."

"Including…" Mr. Satan cups his hands to his side, "_That_ one?"

"Yep. And he's really powerful, to. About even with me when I'm not pushing myself to my limits."

Mr. Satan sits back in his chair, as Videl watches the two with an air of amusement.

"So…what do you need from me?"

Videl looks at Gohan, who grins.

"Just a small little thing," he says, "Can you go on television and announce that we're your students and successors?"

"Huh?"

"Announce that you trained us and you want us to take over the job of saving the world, and you're leaving it in our hands. To give us some legitimacy."

"So…just that?"

"Yes."

"So…I won't have to get involved, or get in the way of you fighting with whoever wants to kill and eat us?"

"Nope."

"And I just have to officially give that job to you?"

"Yes."

And Mr. Satan collapses into tears of joy.

Two days later.

Gohan lands in front of Capsule Corp, clothes changed into his costume, walking around back and phasing through into the Gravity Room, where they decided the meeting should be held.

Vegeta is already there, as is Trunks, Goten, Yamcha, Krillin, Tenshinhan, Chao'tzu, and Piccolo.

"We're missing someone," Gohan states.

The door to the Gravity Chamber opens, and Bulma leads Uubu through. Uubu takes a moment to look to the others assembled, and bows, respectfully.

"Alright then," Gohan says, folding his arms, "Let's get down to business."


	3. Part 3

"I never wanted to push you into the ring and make you fight Cell."

A rock skips across the lake, sinking into the water.

"I still thought, up until the end of our fight, that I could win. I thought his regeneration was just like Piccolo's. I thought if I took out his head, he'd die and we could go home."

Another rock skips across the lake, sinking to the bottom.

"But when he just grew back his entire top half…I knew I didn't have a chance. I know it sounds heartless…but you were my ace in the hole."

Another rock flies and sinks. Gohan lies back, staring up at the shifting, blue black sky.

"I know," he says, "It didn't make it easier, though."

He props his head up, watching as Goku tosses another stone. He's in his orange and blue gi, Gohan in his costume, on a landscape similar to the Kaioshin homeworld, but with empty skies. Trees rustle in the background. Fish swim in the lake.

Things are quiet, unlike what they expect from life.

"How are we here, anyway?" Gohan asks, "Telepathy?"

"Something like that," Goku says, and tosses another rock, "I guess when you need me, I can appear to you. Might have something to do with the power-up that Kaioshin gave you."

"Maybe. I just thought it was my potential unlocked."

"Might be more. You can never tell. I know King Kai forgot to tell me some things."

"Right…but I haven't seen Kaioshin in years. I might never get to ask him."

Goku tosses another rock, and lies down next to Gohan, looking up, towards the sky.

"So, the team got together?"

"Yeah. We're going to go through our paces tomorrow. See who's improved. Although you did a damn good job training Uubu."

"Thanks. First time I had a real serious student."

And the sky pulses for a moment, before glowing…

And Gohan opens his eyes as the sun streams through the bedroom window and onto his face.

He rolls over in the double bed, finding a note on the other pillow…

Went to work. Come by when you're done training. Pan's at school.

-Videl.

Gohan rubs his face, sitting up in bed and climbing out, stretching out his arms as he walks across the bedroom and to the bathroom.

The white, thick tail swishes out from under the robes as the figure walks down the hallway of the starship, florescent lights lighting his way to the communications room. The doors open for him as his retinas are scanned, and he prays he has time.

The room is dome shaped but small, with two consoles and a single projector mounted on the floor at the other end. He takes a spider-shaped device from his robes, placing it on the left console, his tail activating it as he works his three-fingered hands over the right one, the projector lighting up.

He cups his hands, grunting as a fourth finger breaks off on each hand from the third, the hologram forming into a person as he removes the hood of his robes…

Revealing a face almost identical to the now-deceased Frieza.

"_Kuube,_" the rasping voice says as the hologram forms, "_Kuube, why are you contacting me?_"

The icejin raises his red eyes as the image forms into a hologram of Vegeta.

"Forgive me, Prince Vegeta," he says, "But there are urgent matters you must know of. I have failed."

"_Explain._"

"He knows. He knows and he is coming to Earth. I am on a ship. We have a week until we arrive. You must prepare."

"_…Koola is coming?_"

"Koola found out that Frieza was not killed by accident. He knows a saiyan slew him and Grandfather. He is…angry. Angry beyond reasons we have seen and we are afraid. You must prepare, Vegeta. You must stop him by means necessary."

"_I will. My thanks for warning me, Kuube. Your saiyan blood runs strong._"

Kuube bows his head, and smashes the spider contraption as the doors behind him open. The image fades away as someone strides into the communications room, the remains of the device falling to the floor.

Kuube turns. The new arrival is also an icejin, dark blue where Kuube is violet, eyes green where Kuube's is black, more masculine in appearance, and half a foot taller.

He grabs Kuube by the collar, lifting him off the ground.

"Who did you contact?" he demands.

"Only Prince Vegeta," Kuube gasps, unflinching, "As the last subject of Frieza's, he should know you are coming."

The larger icejin releases Kuube, turning.

"I will tolerate you going behind my back once, nephew," he says, "But not again. You will maintain communications silence. Are we understood."

Kuube rubs his chin, closing his eyes and nodding.

"As you say, Koola," he says, as the doors close behind the older alien, "As you say."

_He looks up, as the light comes closer and closer, feeling the burning rays upon his bare back, the mountains behind him crumbling._

_ His black and red eyes go wide as the massive sphere of white light descends towards him. He looks past it, towards the gold haired, beaten figure floating above him. Who's smiling. Not just at victory…but at something else._

_ He roars, catching the sphere with light red hands as it touches down, ripping up the ground under it._

_ The sphere ripples as the gold man exerts more force upon it, driving it towards him by sheer force of will._

_ The sphere grows bigger, and bigger, the force of its descent driving him back, the gold man above roaring…and laughing, faintly._

_ He looks up at the gold man, as he brings two fingers up…and smiles._

_ He locks eyes with the gold man. His eyes go wider as he realizes what is to happen. When he realizes that this is the end._

_ "See you again," the gold man says, and places his hand on his wrist, screaming as he exerts all his remaining power on the sphere, the force causing him to finally lose his footing…_

_ And he screams, as the sphere slams into him, driving him back, into the distance, burning him…_

And Uubu screams as he wakes up, sitting up in the bed.

He looks around, seeing that he's in the room set aside for him on the Lookout. Not on the strange, green world, where planets frequent the night sky like stars would on Earth. Not with the burning white ball above him and calcifying him.

"What…was that?" he asks himself, standing up, grabbing and pulling on his pants, grabbing a vest and putting it on.

He looks at the clock on the wall, pulling on his shoes.

This is the first day of their training and he's overslept. He hopes they don't mind, and he knows Gohan is forgiving…

Besides. They've no doubt started by now…

The greatest pleasure Vegeta has…other than any physical act with his mate…is the training sessions he holds with Trunks and Goten. It reminds him of the stories of twin warriors, comrades in arms, passed down through Saiyan lore. Of Kirrot and Asparah, brothers in arms who drove back alien invaders in the ancient days of Vegetasei. Of Mato and Queecuhm, enemies who became allies, who became the first Kings of the Saiyans. Of Penecilah, the warrior of the king, and Sprowt, the woman peasant who became the greatest warrior woman of Saiyan history a thousand years ago, and their son who became the Legendary Super Saiyan.

He sees potential for this in his two students. Especially when they spar, when he can see their strengths and weaknesses.

Trunks is smart, cunning, and observant, having already duplicated and mastered many of Vegeta's moves without any tutoring from Vegeta himself. He is a master swordsman, expert with his blade and his fists, and a quick study.

Goten is exactly like his father, in heart and body. He trains smarter, knows how to increase his power without abusing his saiyan traits. He knows much of what his father knew, all of his most devastating attacks and his fighting style. And he _is_ Kakarot's son. Vegeta knows that deep within him is the same potential…

Vegeta looks to the two, as they stand in a valley miles away from Satan City, away from civilization. Chairs are set up behind him, the rest of the attending sitting back and relaxing, their leader having not yet shown up. Goten and Trunks stand before him, Goten in his typical training clothes, Trunks having changed to a shirt, sweatpants, and a long jacket, sword scabbard in back.

"Remember," Vegeta says, "Begin in normal form. Transform _only_ when I tell you to. No killing."

The two nod, familiar with the orders he gives them before a match.

"Begin!"

He flies back, grinning as the two charge.

The news can wait until Gohan arrives…

Trunks pushes off his left foot, unsheathing his sword, dragging the blade into the ground and swinging it up. Goten ducks the swing, falling onto his hand, spinning and landing a corkscrew kick into his friend's solar plexus and kicking him into the air.

This all happens in roughly the time it takes Yamcha to drop a toothpick from his mouth.

"There are reasons I don't compete in tournaments anymore," Krillin says, as the bandit watches, mouth agape, "That's two of them."

Goten takes off towards Trunks, pulling out Nyoibo and extending it to bo size, flying up and over Trunks with a burst of speed and pointing Nyoibo down at his friend.

"Nyoibo! Extend!"

The staff extends, one end slamming between Trunks' shoulder blades and slamming him into the valley floor below. Goten pulls the staff back to normal size, holstering it and flying straight down as the smoke and debris rise up.

And Trunks bursts out of the smoke, flying up, foot first. Goten clasps his hands together, catching the foot, slowing Trunks' ascent, and punts him into the other side of the valley.

Trunks is back in a blink of an eye, dust trailing of his coat, sword drawn and swinging.

Goten blocks with the staff, countering with a kick which Trunks blocks with his free hand. They break their lock, tossing their weapons to the ground, flying into a series of superfast punches and kicks, neither landing a single, unblocked blow.

They descend to the ground, flying back the moment their feet touch, and then launch at each other, Trunks leaping into a flying kick. Goten blocks the kick, grabbing Trunks by the ankle, and swings him into the ground, the purple haired demi-saiyan bouncing before landing near the edge of their 'ring'.

He rolls onto his back, and flips up, chuckling as he wipes the dust off his sleeves.

"Keep this up and you'll ruin my jacket, Goten," he says, falling back into a fighting stance, fists pointed at Goten.

Goten smirks, and chambers his hands at his sides, before stepping back into a similar stance.

"Good," Vegeta says, "Now you may transform."

Trunks and Goten scream, the ground underneath them shaking as they become Super Saiyans.

"This never gets boring," Krillin says.

Trunks pulls back his hands, and thrusts them forward, a multitude of small energy blasts flying out.

Goten raises his ki shield as Trunks charges, crossing his arms to block the projectiles. He parts his block as Trunks closes the distance between them, chambering his hands behind him. Trunks lifts off one leg, leaping at Goten fist-first…

And Goten thrusts his hands out into an open clam position.

"_Kamehame…HA!_"

The blast fires out and dead-center into Trunks, tossing the other super-saiyan into the air and back. Trunks grunts, stopping himself in mid air, turning to Goten as the younger saiyan blasts off towards him.

He crosses his arms, his hands becoming a blur before being thrust side-by-side forward, energy glowing between them.

"_Burning Attack!_"

A beam of energy lances out, exploding against Goten's ki shield and blinding him, as Trunks blurs, appearing behind Goten and swinging out a kick…and missing Goten by inches as Goten ducks, and slams his heel into Trunks' groin.

Everyone winces. Even Piccolo.

Trunks doubles over, flipping and driving both feet into Goten's torso, firing off an energy blast with his feet before 'standing' in the air and blasting off after him. Trunks flies low, blasting up as he flies under Goten and straight towards him, charging up a blast in one hand.

Goten flies up, cupping both hands above his head and forming an energy ball.

"_Masenko Ha!_" he screams, and pushes his hands down, releasing a blast.

Trunks thrusts one hand up, forming a sphere of energy.

"_Big Bang Attack!_"

The blast fires, meeting Goten's and colliding with it, blinding the people below in a display of crackling gold energy.

"Alright, that's it!" Trunks yells, pulling off his jacket and tossing it away, "Time for me to win this match!"

"In your dreams, Trunks," Goten yells back, grinning, "Like we said, first one to pass out loses! I'm not conceding!"

Goten chambers his hands to charge another attack…

And the sleeves on Trunks' shirt begin to tear as he growls, gritting his teeth.

"Well," Vegeta says, arms folded as he watches the battle, "The brat's been reading Mirai Trunks' notes."

Trunks screams. His muscles bulge to unrealistic proportions, blue electricity crackling over him. His eyes turn white and glow, before resuming green, his hair spiking and pointing straight up.

Clouds part over him, rocks rising around him…and he grins.

"_This_ is a talent he should have told us he had yesterday," Yamcha chimes in.

"It's called Ascendant Saiyan," Trunks says, "Sort of an interim state between Level 1 and Level 2. Increased muscle mass, but decreases the speed."

"That's not fair," Goten says, flying back, "I can't do that yet!"

"Dad said transform. He didn't say just to transform once."

Trunks' aura flashes, and he launches at Goten. Goten blocks, grunting as the punch lands on his cross-block, causing him pain. He swings, catching Trunks on the forehead…but not stopping him at all, as Trunks flies past him, and double-fists him in the back, sending him slamming into the ground…

And making him groan, as his hair turns back to black, and he slumps against the ground, unconscious.

"Is he alright?" Trunks says, reverting to his normal form, lowering himself to the ground, "Father-"

"He's fine," Vegeta says, "You _can_ let him win, every now and then. And actually _asking_ me to teach you shouldn't be out of the question."

"…sorry, Dad."

Vegeta helps Goten up, lightly slapping him on the cheek to wake him up.

"Good, you're undamaged," he says, "Now join the others. We're waiting for your brother."

Goten nods, stumbling back to the group with Trunks and plopping on the ground.

With a gust of wind, Gohan lands, looking over the group.

"I'm late, aren't I?"

"Not as late as your prodigal son," Vegeta growls.

With another streak of ki and gust of wind, Uubu lands behind Gohan, and bows, deeply.

"Forgive me," he says.

Vegeta growls, and looks up.

"What is it?" Gohan asks, recognizing the look on the Prince's face.

"We have trouble," he says, "And it's coming to Earth."

A saucer-shaped craft, miles wide, streaks through space. Lights flicker over its surface, the clear bulges marring its skin steadily glowing.

At the 'front' of the craft, in the largest, clear blister, the cloaked Icejin stands, peering out. His green eyes are heavy with lack of rest. His hands are clenched in anticipation of vengeance. And most of all…he is uncertain.

"Kuube," he says, catching the younger icejin's attention as he walks into the observation room, "Did I ever tell you what happened when Vegetasei was destroyed?"

"No, Uncle Koola," Kuube says, bowing his head, "I know you were in the sector. That is where we first met."

"My ship had come across a saiyan pod," he responds, "Standing orders from Frieza was that all saiyan pods were to be destroyed. I belayed that order. I pondered it…but I thought that Frieza had simply wanted to spare any saiyan of being the sole survivor of his race."

"Then what about Nappa, Radditz, and Vegeta? What about…me?"

"I do not know. I will have those answers soon, though. Frieza is family. His murder will be answered in blood of the killer, and then I will know what he died for. And what Father died for, as well."

"A threat will be arriving at Earth in one week's time," Vegeta says, looking skyward, "A large starship with an adjacent escort fleet. Aboard the ship is Lord Koola. Frieza's eldest brother."

"Eldest…brother?" Yamcha asks, sitting upright.

"We thought he and his father were the only ones," Tien says, "How many siblings does Frieza have?"

"At last count, twenty four brothers and six sisters. Dozens, if not hundreds of nephews and nieces," Vegeta responds, "Frieza was the runt of the litter, at only a century old. Koola is old enough to have been around during the time of the last Legendary Super Saiyan."

He waits for the information to sink in, and gives off a slight, amused grin.

"Koola and Frieza are in no ways similar," he continues, "Where Frieza ruled by fear and fear of force, Koola rules by respect and honor. But they are still family, and Koola wishes vengeance."

"Vegeta," Gohan says, "What sort of power are we dealing with?"

Vegeta chuckles. That dark, low chuckle that sends shivers down their spines.

"Years ago, I resumed contact with allies of mine within Koola's empire," he responds, "It was during the seven years following the second of Kakarot's many deaths. I told him of what we faced during that time, of Cell. I told him of Cell's power, what he had done, what he had the potential to do, and whether or not such a being, if unleashed, would pose a threat to Koola. His response was, and I quote, 'feh.' _That _is what we are dealing with."

He makes a sharp turn to Gohan. Then looks up at the sky, narrowing his eyes.

"I thankfully still have my faithful contact," he says, "A week. No more, no less. Then we have to face Koola."

**To Be Continued**


End file.
